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Unofficial Hangouts Widget Lands in Google Play

A developer over on XDA recently released an unofficial Hangouts widget to Google Play, helping all of those widget-happy folks who love seeing their messages on the homescreen. The widget is quite simple to explain, as it only displays all of your Hangout threads in a white and green widget, which sits on whichever screen you place it on. For those who were used to having a text messaging widget back before Hangouts handled SMS, then this should be helpful for you.

The app is completely free, and as you’d expect from a new app, the developer is continuing to take in feedback and improve his offering. Here’s hoping we see themes or something along those lines in the future.

I absolutely hate that Google Hangouts gives you recommendations (of people you don’t know) when you start typing in the names of your friends

FRGuzman

Yes, and every time I want to compose a new message it shows recommendations instead of, say, my frequent contacts or something like this.

bprichard

I find it kind of hilarious, and I just know I’m going to drunkenly send a message to a random suggestion at some point.

chris_johns

Thanks for this…i honestly swtiched back to messaging app instead of hangouts for 2 reasons…this was one reason, the lack of widget(i like it)…the other is because i was getting to many miscues with the group messaging threads which drove me crazy…messages not coming through and then when i click to dl never downloading…pissen me the f off

FRGuzman

Developers (even Google) are neglecting widgets. There are lots of apps that could use a good widget and don’t have one. Or apps that have arcaic widgets that have never been updated (Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter).
This is one of the most unique features to the OS and yet it seems to be overlooked more and more…

http://www.pixeom.com/ Karishma N

Thanks for the link. I wonder why Google hadn’t made this widget themselves. Regardless, this is a nice addition to my phone.

T4rd

Nice, when is he going to port it to iOS?! =p

Xious

Has anyone seen a popup app for Hangouts similar to SMS Popup? I’ve been looking for something like that forever (and no, I don’t like the floating chat bubbles).

Am I the only one around here that thinks that Google didn’t integrate hangouts correctly? Instead they just throw in the ability to text in the app

Boblank84

i would like to see either tabs for sms or hangouts and heave it automatically merge sms and hangout threads together. its kinda a jumbled mess the way it is now.

Fahad Beg

That would be better, but ultimately I would like to see, what is being done with iMessage. where if the person has there Google+ merged with their number you have more options other than just regular sms and mms. and also Google Voice being integrated as well

Ed Cerqueira

The only reason I see why they haven’t done it is because of how Hangouts sync with everything. Maybe they couldn’t have SMS in the same thread because then it wouldn’t show up in the Chrome extension which would break up the fluidity of a conversation. That’s pretty much the only reason I can see and I really hope they work passed it if it is.

Sam Paasch

Yes, but Motorola has their ‘Motorola Connect’ Chrome extension that works similar to hangouts for syncing text messaging for the Moto X.

So it is very possible for them to support the text messages going to their extension. After all, Moto is ‘a Google Company’

Ed Cerqueira

So do Third-Party apps like MySmS. I’m not sayin it’s impossible but I think there’s probably a difference between syncing only SMS abd syncing a mix of SMS and some other messaging service in a single thread. Thats what I think at least. I think once Google Voice support is brought, SMS syncing will come to anyone with a Google Voice number,

Sam Paasch

Ed, I agree. I think a lot of good things will come once they integrate GV. Personally I like the two separate threads. I really like the option to switch between SMS and IM by clicking the Contact’s name on the top left.

I’m just really wanting SMS support via the hangout extension. That way I can truly have all my messages in 1 place.

Ed Cerqueira

I would like them to give an option to merge conversations. An app in alpha called Disa Handles this perfectly.
I also can’t wait for SMS integration with the chrome extention, that’s what I think will tie everything together.

JBartcaps

The only thing that really bugs me is SMS isn’t linked with their gmails. Like I have two text threads for my Mom, one via gmail and the other SMS.

Chris

it disables my voicemail on my HTC EVO LTE. Cant have multipage messages and at times it says I got a SMS but it wont come though when i hit “download”

Fahad Beg

yeah, it did that on Moto X when I was on 4.2.2, its an issue with Sprint

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

It’s a failure. Nothing is “integrated” it’s just silly how it works, with manually having to switch back and forth. Full integration is being able to having both Hangouts (Gtalk) and Text messages cross to all devices without even thinking about it.

Adrynalyne

Not even iMessage does that.

Chaca

The Verizon Messaging App does…

Adrynalyne

That’s because it syncs them from another device. Send an sms on your phone and turn it off immediately. It won’t show up on your tablet. Receive an sms while your phone is off and check if it shows on your tablet.

veRdiKt

SMS/MMS development > Widget Development.

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